The University of Connecticut released its Clery Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and a report from the Office of Institutional Equity in September, detailing policies and data regarding sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking. According to the Clery report, the number of rape incidents reported remained the same between 2022 and 2023, at eight, and domestic violence incidents increased from seven in 2022 to nine in 2023, though fondling reports decreased from 11 in 2022 to four in 2023.
In the state-mandated report by the OIE, of the 42 sexual assault incidents with connections to UConn, only nine were investigated and only one resulted in disciplinary action. The other eight investigated claims found “No Violation or Not Responsible”. The disparity between cases reported and investigations conducted is alarming and reveals that UConn students do not feel comfortable reporting or following through proceedings on incidents of sexual violence. According to the Student Experience survey in the same report, of the eight percent of students who experienced sexual violence, only 69 percent of students reported it to ShaW, UConn Police or another UConn employee. When asked why they didn’t report it, the most common responses were that the victim did not trust UConn to take the report seriously, they would not get the desired outcome or they were worried that they would be blamed or not believed.
The failure to improve safety on campus is disappointing and it does not seem like it will improve in next year’s report. Just in the past two weeks, a Stamford assistant professor has resigned after investigations opened into his alleged sexual misconduct with a student and a member of the TKE fraternity was arrested and charged with assault and breach of peace. The latter is just another addition to the list of fraternity-related criminal cases at UConn. Fraternities tend to be breeding grounds for violence, as studies have found that fraternity men are three times as likely to rape than non-affiliated peers, likely due to the increased level of male peer support and culture of silence, as noted by a UConn petition during protests in 2022.
It isn’t just the data that highlights safety issues at UConn. For years, students have been advocating for increased safety measures and better support for victims when crimes occur. Since their release of 16 Demands for the UConn Administration in 2022, Revolution Against Rape has been demanding that the Emergency Blue Phones system be expanded, more regularly tested and at the very least, be functional. The Emergency Blue Phones system is a series of emergency alarms placed around campus for students in distress to call for and receive assistance. Included in the 16 demands by RAR are ideas meant to reduce the frequency of sexual assault and protect victims through out the investigation process.
It would be unfair to say UConn has not tried to increase student safety. In 2022, President Radenka Maric announced the formation of the President’s Task Force on Combatting Sexual Violence and Supporting Our Students. The group includes faculty and administration from various programs at UConn but fails to represent the general student population at UConn, as there are only two undergraduate students represented. However, while the group issued a report in August 2022 detailing recommendations to improve safety at UConn, there has been no further news from the group, and they have not put out a report for the year of 2023. After its initial year, the President’s Task Force on Combatting Sexual Violence and Supporting Our Students has failed to follow through on any meaningful action.
The Daily Campus Editorial Board has been vocal in the past about prioritizing student safety and confronting the prevalence of violence and sexual harassment at UConn. We believe that students from all backgrounds should be able to live and work on campus without fear. We encourage student groups and the general student population to speak out for resources to make the campus a safer place that is more conducive to learning and growing as individuals.